#1537 Estonia - Netherlands - France - Azerbaijan - Moldova

Thank you all !

Received on: February 19, 2018

#1240 Estonia - Russia - Kazakhstan - Ukraine - Italy

Thank you all !

Sent on: October 14, 2016

Received on: March 22, 2017

#899 Seville, Spain

Andalusia is a south-western European region established as an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain. It is the most populated and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities in Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognized as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Seville. Its capital is the city of Seville (Spanish: Sevilla).

Wikipedia.org 

Date of Issue: April 4, 2012 | EUROPA CEPT 2012 'Visit...'

Thank you, Jesus !

Sent on: May 25, 2015

Received on: June 1, 2015

#644 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands

The Muntplein (literally "mint square") is a square in the centre of Amsterdam. The square is in fact a bridge - the widest bridge in Amsterdam - which crosses the Singel canal at the point where it flows into the Amstel river. All bridges in Amsterdam are numbered, and the Muntplein carries the number 1.

Muntplein is named after the Munttoren (or simply Munt) tower which stands on this square. This tower was once part of one of the three main medieval city gates. In the 17th century, it temporarily served as a mint, hence the name. The guard house building attached to the tower is not the original medieval structure but a late 19th-century fantasy. An underpass was added to the building during a 1938–1939 renovation.

The name "Muntplein" dates from 1917. The square was originally known as Schapenplein ("sheep square") and, from 1877 to 1917, as Sophiaplein (after Queen Sophia, first wife of William III).

The square is a bustling intersection of six streets. It forms the southern end of the Kalverstraat shopping street and the major street Rokin. The eastern end of the floating flower market (Bloemenmarkt) along the Singel canal is directly south of the square. Six tram lines (4, 9, 14, 16, 24 and 25) stop at Muntplein, but only when travelling south.

The building on Muntplein at the intersection of the Kalverstraat and Rokin is an early design by prominent Dutch architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage.

Wikipedia.org

The Singel is a canal in Amsterdam which encircled the city in the Middle Ages. It served as a moat around the city until 1585, when Amsterdam expanded beyond the Singel. The canal runs from the IJ bay, near Central Station, to the Muntplein square, where it meets the Amstel river. It is now the inner-most canal in Amsterdam's semicircular ring of canals.

The canal should not be confused with the Singelgracht canal, which became the outer limit of the city during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th Century.

Wikipedia.org

Property No #1349

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 2010

Date of Issue: March 26, 2012 | Europa CEPT 2012 'Visit ...'

Thank you, Jan !

Sent on: May 30, 2014

Received on: June 5, 2014

#643 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands

Amsterdam is the capital city of and the most populous within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Its status as the Dutch capital is mandated by the Constitution of the Netherlands though it is not the seat of the Dutch government, which is at The Hague (Den Haag). Amsterdam has a population of 810,909 within the city-proper, 1,108,297 in the urban region and 1,571,234 in the greater metropolitan area. The city is located in the province of North Holland (Noord Holland) in the west of the country. It comprises much of the northern part of the Randstad, one of the larger conurbations in Europe, with a population of approximately 7 million.

Amsterdam's name derives from Amstelredamme, indicative of the city's origin as a dam of the river Amstel. Originating as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age (17th century), a result of its innovative developments in trade. During that time, the city was the leading center for finance and diamonds. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded, and many new neighborhoods and suburbs were planned and built. The 17th-century canals of Amsterdam and the 19–20th century Defence Line of Amsterdam are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

As the commercial capital of the Netherlands and one of the top financial centres in Europe, Amsterdam is considered an alpha world city by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) study group. The city is also the cultural capital of the Netherlands. Many large Dutch institutions have their headquarters there, and 7 of the world's top 500 companies, including Philips and ING, are based in the city. In 2012, Amsterdam was ranked 2nd best city to live by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and 12th globally on quality of living by Mercer. The city was previously ranked 3rd in innovation by 2thinknow in the Innovation Cities Index 2009.

The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, the oldest stock exchange in the world, is located in the city center.Amsterdam's main attractions, including its historic canals, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum, Hermitage Amsterdam, Anne Frank House, Amsterdam Museum, its red-light district, and its many cannabis coffee shops draw more than 3.66 million international visitors annually.

Wikipedia.org

Canals of Amsterdam are listed as UNESCO WHS.

Property No #1349

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 2010

Date of Issue: March 26, 2012 | Europa 2012 'Visit ...'

Thank you, Jan !

Sent on: May 30, 2014

Received on: June 5, 2014

#617 Bilbao, Spain

Date of Issue: April 4, 2012 | Europa 2012 'Visit Spain'

Thank you, David !

Sent on: May 16, 2014

Received on: May 29, 2014

#600 Vilnius, Lithuania

The Old Town of Vilnius (Lithuanian: Vilniaus senamiestis), one of the largest surviving medieval old towns in Northern Europe, has an area of 3.59 square km (887 acres). It encompasses 74 quarters, with 70 streets and lanes numbering 1487 buildings with a total floor area of 1,497,000 square meters. The oldest part of the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, it has developed over the course of many centuries, and has been shaped by the city's history and a constantly changing cultural influence. It is a place where some of Europe's greatest architectural styles - gothic, renaissance, baroque and neoclassical - stand side by side and complement each other.

Wikipedia.org

1. The Cathedral of Vilnius (Lithuanian: Vilniaus Šv. Stanislovo ir Šv. Vladislovo arkikatedra bazilika) is the main Roman Catholic Cathedral of Lithuania. It is situated in Vilnius Old Town, just off of Cathedral Square. Dedicated to Saints Stanislaus and Ladislaus, the church is the heart of Catholic spiritual life in Lithuania.

Wikipedia.org

2. Church of St. Casimir (Lithuanian: Šv. Kazimiero bažnyčia) is a Roman Catholic church in Vilnius' Old Town, close to the Vilnius' Town Hall. It is the first and the oldest baroque church in Vilnius, built in 1618.

Wikipedia.org

3.The Gate of Dawn (Lithuanian: Aušros Vartai, Polish: Ostra Brama, Belarusian: Вострая Брама) is a city-gate of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, and one of the most important religious, historical and cultural monuments in the city.

Wikipedia.org

4. St. Anne's Church (Lithuanian: Šv. Onos bažnyčia) is a Roman Catholic church in Vilnius' Old Town, on the right bank of the Vilnia River. It is a prominent example of both Flamboyant Gothic and Brick Gothic styles. St. Anne's is a prominent landmark in the Old Town of Vilnius that enabled the district to be included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Wikipedia.org

5. The Church of St. Raphael the Archangel, 1709.

6. Augustinian Church of Blessed Virgin Mary of Consolation, 18th c.

Property No #541

Date of Inscription on the List of UNESCO WHS: 1994

Date of Issue: April 28, 2012 | Europa 2012 'Visit ...'

Thank you, Ilona !

Sent on: May 19, 2014

Received on: May 21, 2014

#440 Sofia, Bulgaria

The flag of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: знаме на България, [znɑmɛ nɑ bɤ̞ɫˈɡɑrijɐ]) is a tricolour consisting of three equal-sized horizontal bands of (from top to bottom) white, green, and red. The flag was first adopted after the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), where Bulgaria gained independence. The national flag at times was charged with the state emblem, especially during the People's Republic of Bulgaria. The current flag was re-established with the 1991 Constitution of Bulgaria and was confirmed in a 1998 law.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: April 24, 2013 | Europa 2013 "The Postman Van"

Date of Issue: April 4, 2012 | Europa 2012 "Visit ..."

Thank you, Silvia !

Sent on: November 25, 2013

Received on: December 9, 2013

#316 Bari, Italy

Italy (Italian: Italia), officially the Italian Republic (Italian: Repubblica italiana), is a unitary parliamentary republic in Southern Europe. To the north, Italy borders France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia, and is approximately delimited by the Alpine watershed, enclosing the Po Valley and the Venetian Plain. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula and the two Mediterranean islands of Sicily and Sardinia, in addition to many smaller islands. The sovereign states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, while Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. Italy covers an area of 301,338 km² (116,347 sq mi) and has a largely temperate climate. With 60 million inhabitants, it is the fifth most populous country in Europe. Italy is also the fourth economic power of the European continent and the eighth of the world.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: May 9, 2012 | Europa 2012 "Visit ..."

Thank you, Silvia !

Sent on: August 29, 2013
Received on: September 4, 2013

#174 Saint Petersburg, Russia | RU-1439606

The Scarlet Sails (Russian: Алые паруса) is a celebration in St. Petersburg, Russia, the most massive and famous public event during the White Nights Festival. The tradition is highly popular for its spectacular fireworks, numerous music concerts, and a massive water show including battles between dozens of boats full of pirates on the waters of the Neva river. The Scarlet Sails show celebrating the end of school year.

This tradition began after the end of World War 2, when several Leningrad schools united to celebrate the end of the school year in connection with the symbolism of the popular 1922 children's book Scarlet Sails by Alexander Grin. During the first celebration, a boat with scarlet sails sailed along the English Embankment and the Admiralty Embankment towards the Winter Palace. Although it was designed to update the rusty revolutionary propaganda, the "Scarlet Sails" tradition eventually evolved into a massive demonstration of freedom from "schools and rules" and has become the most popular public event annually celebrating the end of school year.

Wikipedia.org

Date of Issue: May 4, 2012 | Europa 2012 "Visit ..."

Thank you, Danya (Danila57914) !

Received on: January 24, 2012

Travel time: 26 days

Distance: 236 km (147 miles)